A TOWN is planning to enforce a 200-year-old by-law to ban children from playing in its streets after dark, as part of a crackdown on vandalism and noise.

A TOWN is planning to enforce a 200-year-old by-law to ban children from playing in its streets after dark, as part of a crackdown on vandalism and noise.

The kids' curfew proposal was triggered after youngsters were accused of smashing windows and making late- night noise in the small rural market town of Presteigne in Powys.

Councillors asked police for advice and were told about the by-law which could be used to keep children off the streets.

The town's mayor, Peggy Fraser-Scott, accused parents in Presteigne last night of "not doing their job properly" and added that the town council had been forced to act.

The penalty for persistently breaching the ancient law could result in children being made subject of an anti-social behaviour order. Presteigne council is also examining the possibility of installing closed- circuit TV.

The town council was yesterday taking legal advice over bringing in the by-law, but hoped even the threat of it could stop young trouble-makers.

Mother-of-four Mrs Fraser-Scott said she is determined to stop the country market town from becoming "a thug's paradise."

She said, "We've had broken windows and people in the street shouting in the small hours of the morning.

"This can all be very frightening to people on their own, especially if stones and bottles are thrown. We don't want it to erupt into anything violent. We haven't resolved to do anything yet, it is purely a plan put forward by the police.

"The town doesn't have a major problem with vandalism and I want to keep it that way. We don't want Presteigne becoming like a borough of Birmingham."

However, Brecon and Radnor AM Kirsty Williams, pictured below, who represents Presteigne, was not convinced the by-law was the correct action.

"I wouldn't like to see this enforced in other towns," said Ms Williams. "In his latest report, the Children's Commissioner has highlighted that in some cases children play in the streets because there are problems in the home.

"It's all very well taking children off the streets, but where do they go from there. We have to take a balanced approach. We all liked playing outside as youngsters and there is a difference between disturbance and playing.

"I haven't received any complaints from my constituents about this problem."

Parent Gary Schibnell- Smith, 28, who has two sons aged nine and six, said some mums and dads in the town didn't seem to care what their children did at night.

Mr Schibnell-Smith, a director of Carini Butchers in Presteigne's High Street, added, "The majority of the children in the town are fine. It's just a group who shout and swear in the town centre about two or three times a week.

"To be fair to the kids, there's not much for them to do in the town, which was a problem I had to cope with when I was young. But it doesn't mean these children should misbehave."